Doc rocket was nice enough not to tell me how dire my situation was until I was safely admitted lol
A good doctor has a good poker face. several years ago late at night I just stopped remembering stuff. My wife looked calm but kept me awake for the rest of the night doing mini mental status exam stuff. I later learned she was trying to decide if I needed to be rushed into the ER for the clot busting drug.
She waited until morning then got me into an MRI machine where nothing bad was found. My vision had lost a line on the eye chart. With consults she figured out what it was but it took her a few days to explain how scared she had been.
This most often happens to people over 50 and can be really scary.... I'll always be grateful she "looked calm" while I had no clue what was happening to me. The memory hole lasted maybe 4 or 5 hours.
Transient global amnesia
Overview
Transient global amnesia is a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that can't be attributed to a more common neurological condition, such as epilepsy or stroke.
During an episode of transient global amnesia, your recall of recent events simply vanishes, so you can't remember where you are or how you got there. In addition, you may not remember anything about what's happening in the here and now. Consequently, you may keep repeating the same questions because you don't remember the answers you've just been given. You may also draw a blank when asked to remember things that happened a day, a month or even a year ago.
The condition most often affects people in middle or older age. With transient global amnesia, you do remember who you are, and you recognize the people you know well. Episodes of transient global amnesia always improve gradually over a few hours. During recovery, you may slowly begin to remember events and circumstances. Transient global amnesia isn't serious, but it can still be frightening.
Symptoms
Transient global amnesia is identified by its main symptom, which is the inability to form new memories and to recall the recent past. Once that symptom is confirmed, ruling out other possible causes of amnesia is important.
These signs and symptoms must be present to diagnose transient global amnesia:
Sudden onset of memory loss, verified by a witness
Retention of personal identity despite memory loss
Normal cognition, such as the ability to recognize and name familiar objects and follow simple directions
Absence of signs indicating damage to a particular area of the brain, such as limb paralysis, involuntary movement or impaired word recognition
Additional symptoms and history that may help diagnose transient global amnesia:
Duration of no more than 24 hours and generally shorter
Gradual return of memory
No recent head injury
No evidence of seizures during the period of amnesia
No history of active epilepsy
Along with these signs and symptoms, a common feature of transient global amnesia includes repetitive questioning, usually of the same question — for example, "What am I doing here?" or "How did we get here?"
When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical attention for anyone who quickly goes from normal awareness of present reality to confusion about what just happened. If the person experiencing memory loss is too confused to call an ambulance, call one yourself.
Although transient global amnesia isn't harmful, there's no easy way to distinguish the condition from the life-threatening illnesses that can also cause sudden memory loss.
Causes
The underlying cause of transient global amnesia is unknown. There appears to be a link between transient global amnesia and a history of migraines, though the underlying factors that contribute to both conditions aren't fully understood. Another possible cause is the overfilling of veins with blood due to some sort of blockage or other abnormality with the flow of blood (venous congestion).
While the likelihood of transient global amnesia after these events is very low, some commonly reported events that may trigger it include:
Sudden immersion in cold or hot water
Strenuous physical activity
Sexual intercourse
Medical procedures, such as angiography or endoscopy
Mild head trauma
Acute emotional distress, as might be provoked by bad news, conflict or overwork
Risk factors
Interestingly, high blood pressure and high cholesterol — which are closely linked to strokes —are not risk factors for transient global amnesia. This is probably because transient global amnesia doesn't represent blood vessel diseases of aging. Your sex doesn't seem to affect your risk, either.
The clearest risk factors are:
Age. People age 50 and older have a higher risk of transient global amnesia than do younger people.
History of migraines. If you have migraines, your risk of transient global amnesia is significantly higher than that of someone without migraines.
Complications
Transient global amnesia has no direct complications. It's not a risk factor for stroke or epilepsy. It's possible to have a second episode of transient global amnesia, but it's extremely rare to have more than two.
But, even temporary memory loss can cause emotional distress. If you need reassurance, ask your doctor to go over the results of your neurological exam and diagnostic tests with you.
Prevention
Because the cause of transient global amnesia is unknown and the rate of recurrence is low, there's no real way to prevent the condition.